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Vorador
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996) |race = Vampire |birthrace = Human |gender = Male |status = • Deceased (as of the Blood Omen era, prior to fatal paradox) • Unknown (as of the Blood Omen 2 era, fatal paradox) |titles = • Prince of the Vampires • Patriarch of the Vampires • Leader of the Cabal (as of fatal paradox) |aliases = • Scourge of the Circle of Nine |territories = • Vorador's Mansion, Termogent Forest • Sanctuary, Meridian (as of fatal paradox) |affiliation = • The Circle of Nine (formerly) • The Cabal (as of fatal paradox) |realm = Material Realm |birthera = Ancient-Hylden war |voice = Paul Lukather |appearances = • • • |mentioned = }} Vorador is a major supporting character throughout the Legacy of Kain series, appearing in every title aside from Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. A long-lived and extraordinarily powerful Vampire, he was the first human in Nosgoth to whom the blood curse was passed, and was sired by the legendary Janos Audron. He originally forged the Soul Reaver blade for the Circle of Nine, and was considered the patriarch of all Vampires by the Blood Omen era; Kain loosely accepted him as a de-facto mentor following his transformation. Throughout the games, he is voiced by Paul Lukather. Biography Beyond Redemption Vorador was born in a "more primitive period" of Nosgoth's history, in ancient times, Warp's answers from Amy at the Eidos Forums (by Blincoln) and suffered deeply as a young Vampire at the hands of the Sarafan Brotherhood, who had slaughtered his family, friends, lovers and children over the course of their infamous purges. SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - The Players at Dark Chronicle (by Silicon Knights) Outraged by the genocide of his people at their hands, Vorador invaded the Sarafan Stronghold during the Sarafan era and took his revenge on the Circle of Nine for supporting the Sarafan crusades. Kain: "I pondered this as the decadent old fool prattled on about his past; a boorish account of how he defeated Malek of the Sarafan and took his vengeance upon the Circle of Nine for supporting the Sarafan's holy war to exterminate us..." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. There, he slaughtered six of the Guardians and defeated Malek, their defender. Vorador: "After slaughtering six of the sheep I defeated their pathetic little shepherd - Malek." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Since that time, Vorador vowed to never again concern himself with the affairs of the human race, except to feed - he would declare that "meddling in the affairs of man can do Vampires no good." Vorador: "Meddling with the affairs of man can do us no good. Sarafan witchhunts are much too tedious to concern ourselves with. Am I understood Kain?" Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Decadent and hedonistic, Vorador held court with his brides in his labyrinthine mansion, a "private kingdom" in the depths of the Termogent Forest. Raziel: "Nestled deep in the black forest, Vorador had once held court over a private kingdom, as decadent as it was depraved. Now, all was still. I hoped I had not arrived too late..." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Defiance. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (November 11, 2003) Transcript. In the Blood Omen era, having been directed to seek counsel from the reclusive warrior by the Oracle of Nosgoth, Kain navigated the halls of the grandiose castle and met Vorador in its dining hall. Moebius: "Follow the glow of the Ignis Fatuus to the Termogent Forest." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Kain was unimpressed by the "decadent old fool", and tritely considered Vorador's "boorish account of how he defeated Malek" blasé. Vorador was vocal in attesting that vampirism was a gift and a blessing, not a curse - an ideal Kain would eventually come to adopt as his own. Vorador: "It’s not often I see one of our own, especially one as young and foolish as yourself. Nonetheless, drink. Drink deep and indulge your gift." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. As the two supped on goblets of blood, he chastised Kain as "young and foolish", and instructed him to avoid Sarafan witch-hunts. Though noting his youthful arrogance, Vorador admitted that Kain was an amusement to him, and offered Kain his signet ring, enabling the fledgling to summon him if her required assistance. Vorador: "Good. Take this ring. If you ever need assistance it will summon me. Despite your youthful arrogance, you amuse me, Kain - it would be such a pity to lose you to the Abyss. Now be gone!" Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Kain, however, was still revulsed by his fellow Vampire, viewing Vorador "with clear knowledge of what sort of monster he would become if he let my curse consume me". Kain: "And so I left that place, with clear knowledge of what sort of monster I would become if I let my curse consume me, and with an ally for the future." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. The Dark Gods Later, while assaulting the stronghold of Dark Eden at the roof of the world, Kain confronted his prey - the Guardians Bane, DeJoule and Anarcrothe: Anarcrothe summoned Malek to defend him before fleeing, and Kain used the ring to call on Vorador in response. Anarcrothe: "Don’t be ridiculous! Malek! To our aid!" // Kain: "Damn you, Alchemist! I had not come this far only to have my quarry escape!" // Malek: "Vengeance! Vengeance for my eternity of suffering!" // Vorador: "Whelp! As if you knew what eternity was! Grovel before your true master." // Malek: "Never! I'll hack you from crotch to gizzard and feed what’s left of you to your brides..." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Exchanging insults, the two ancient enemies challenged one another and clashed vehemently as Kain pursued Bane and DeJoule. Kain: "As Vorador clashed against Malek, I gave pursuit to the fleeing wizards DeJoule and Bane... I danced their dance. When the time came, they would dance upon my sword!" Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. When Kain returned after slaying the wizards, he learned the outcome of the battle; though the old Vampire was nowhere to be seen, Malek's armor lay strewn in pieces across the chamber's floor, indicating that Vorador had "finally laid his old adversary to rest". Kain: "I found Malek’s helmet amongst the scattered remnants of his armor, whole and intact. Vorador had finally laid his old adversary to rest." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Kain ignored Vorador's advice and, as the Oracle had suggested, meddled in the conflict in the north between the Army of Hope and the Land of the Nemesis. Kain: "They came at me in throngs, no fervor so strong as that inspired by a madman. The Nemesis armies were fierce and showed no signs of subsiding." // Ottmar: "The Nemesis and his Horde fall upon us, my friend. I fear I can defend Nosgoth no longer. The Nemesis must be destroyed. For my daughter, Kain; for the world..." // Kain: "The tide turned with Ottmar's death. I watched as the remaining survivors of the Armies of Hope fled to the safety of the forest. The battle had decided its victor; the fate of Nosgoth now lay in the Nemesis' hands." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. Cornered during the Battle of the Last Stand, Kain traveled back in time to murder William the Just and prevent the Legions of the Nemesis from rising to challenge Nosgoth's sanctity. He succeeded in altering history, removing the Legions from history and creating the second paradox timeline. Unfortunately, the Oracle - Moebius the Time Streamer - capitalized on William's death at Kain's hands to revive the Sarafan Brotherhood. Kain: "The beloved boy-king turned tyrant. In my youth, I witnessed William’s rise to power, and his transformation into the ‘Nemesis’ who laid waste to Nosgoth." // Raziel: "Keep your distance, Kain." // Kain: "Years later, I stumble upon a chance to journey back in history, unaware that the entire affair has been carefully orchestrated by Moebius. In my wisdom, I seize this opportunity to murder the young king before he can ravage Nosgoth... and thereby provide the catalyst Moebius needs to ignite a genocidal war against our race." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. In the "new" present, Vorador and his kindred were again hunted down and slain by Moebius's Mercenary Army in retribution for Kain's act in the past: Vorador was the last to be executed and guillotined at a garrison south of Stahlberg, his severed head brutally held aloft before a crowd of human spectators. Despite his ignoble demise, Kain - in addition to revising his viewpoint on vampirism - had come to consider Vorador a father figure. Disgusted at the machinations of his corrupt fellow human Guardians, Kain realized the truth in Vorador's sentiment and cherished it as an epiphany, concluding that "we are gods - dark gods - and it is our duty to thin the herd." Condemning the Pillars of Nosgoth and opting to rule the world in its damnation, Kain donned Vorador's signet ring as an earring, symbolizing the Vampire's influence over his fatal decision and the creation of his empire. A Fortright Being Two thousand years onward, in the Soul Reaver era, Vorador's reputation as a legendary figure still endured in Nosgoth. Raziel was aware of the elder Vampire's exploits of bygone days, and even referred to the Sarafan era as the "time of Vorador" as he commented on the purges while infiltrating the long-abandoned Tomb of the Sarafan. Raziel: "In the time of Vorador, centuries before Kain was made, the Sarafan warrior priests waged a merciless war against the vampire tribes of Nosgoth." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation. (August 16, 1999) Transcript. After pursuing Kain into the pre-Blood Omen era, Raziel discussed mural effigies in the Sarafan Stronghold with Moebius, painted on the walls of the very chamber in which Vorador had slaughtered six of the Guardians centuries before. The murals were unflattering, demonizing Vorador, and Moebius spoke his name with contempt. He referred to Vorador as "the scourge of the Circle" and condemned him "the most depraved and decadent example of his whole degenerate race." Having emerged from the Stronghold, Raziel had "the constant and palpable sensation of being watched". After discoursing with Kain at the Pillars of Nosgoth, he encountered crows which curiously dispersed into green mist when approached. In the Swamp, Vorador briefly exposed himself as Raziel's observer. After Raziel obtained the Dark Reaver, the two conversed directly. Perturbed by Moebius's renewed crusade, Vorador was darkly cynical, and was distrustful of Raziel, believing him "more demon than vampire". He wondered whether Raziel had caused the recent Corruption of the Pillars, but relented on discovering that Raziel was unaware of his own destiny. Before disappearing, Vorador explained that his sire, the Ancient Vampire Janos Audron, might have provided the answers Raziel sought, but, noting that Janos was dead, apathetically claimed "you – and all of us – are out of luck". In the post-Blood Omen era, having triggered the third paradox timeline, Raziel encountered a statue erected in honor to Moebius in the main hall of the Sarafan Stronghold. The tableau - bearing the words "Requiescat in pace" - depicted Moebius brandishing what appeared to be the actual head of Vorador, bloodied and discolored from a century of decay. When Raziel finally met with Janos Audron in the Sarafan era, the two discussed Vorador's prejudices against humanity: Janos remarked that his hatred stemmed from the fact that he had "suffered much" at their hands, and could not forgive them. As Raziel assaulted the Sarafan Stronghold to avenge Janos' death at the hands of the Inquisitors, Vorador also attempted to exact revenge for the murder of his sire; while Raziel was delayed by Moebius and Malek, Vorador's battle cries could be heard in the distance as he simultaneously annihilated the Circle of Nine, slaying six of its number as depicted in the Stronghold murals some five centuries later. Return from the Grave Along with that of Nosgoth as a whole, Vorador's history was rewritten by the fatal paradox caused when Kain defied fate by rescuing Raziel from being devoured by the Soul Reaver in the Sarafan era. In the Blood Omen era of the fatal paradox timeline, Raziel discovered through murals in the Vampire Citadel that Vorador had been the first human in Nosgoth to receive the Blood Curse from the Ancient Vampires, and that he had been responsible for forging the Reaver for the original Circle of Nine. Deducing that Vorador therefore held the key to escaping his destiny, Raziel penetrated the defenses of his mansion and stole into the crypt, where the mirthless Vampire explained he knew nothing of the Reaver's true purpose. He did, however, instruct Raziel to revive Janos, assuring him that Janos held all the answers. Vorador directed Raziel to search for the Heart of Darkness in Avernus Cathedral, but spoke of his wariness of the Unspoken within. After reclaiming the Heart of Darkness, Raziel returned only to find the estate collapsing, swarmed by Moebius's Mercenary Army. Moebius himself taunted Raziel on the capture and imminent execution of Vorador, but confessed that the old Vampire had exacted "a considerable price in blood". Throwing Vorador's sword at Raziel's feet, he remarked "let it sustain him until his head is off". Moebius departed to partake in Vorador's execution, which would be witnessed by a younger Kain, and subsequently avenged. At some point during either the fatal paradox timeline's Blood Omen era or its Blood Omen 2 era, Vorador was resurrected by an unknown party. The Resurrection of Vorador at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) In the Blood Omen 2 era, he regrouped with the younger Kain, and agreed to assist in the revival of the Vampire race. As Kain was unable to create Vampires himself, Vorador personally sired the first Vampires of the post-Blood Omen era. As the patriarch of the Vampire Army, he allied with Kain and clashed with the Sarafan Order, which had been recently revived by the Sarafan Lord. After claiming the cities of Ziegsturhl, Provance and Freeport, the Vampires were utterly defeated by the Sarafan outside the city of Meridian, and Kain was left for dead. Vorador reclaimed and hid Kain's unresponsive body; over the next two hundred years, he led the Cabal, an underground Vampire-loyal resistance movement in Meridian determined to eliminate the Sarafan Order. During this era, he also sired Umah, his favored Vampire child and spy. As leader of the Cabal, Vorador concealed his identity "for secrecy's sake". He attracted several Vampires to his cause, even attaining the support of the Bishop of Meridian, and attempted to convince others such as Marcus, but was unable to prevent several of his kin from reneging to the Sarafan Order. 400 years after the Collapse of the Pillars, he and his followers were headquartered in Sanctuary, which consisted of the basement of the Blue Lady Curios shop. The Reformed Sado-Hedonist Upon awakening from his comatose state and resolving to meet the "mysterious leader", Kain could encounter wanted posters depicting his old compatriot throughout the Lower City, but did not voice his surprise until he met Vorador in person. Vorador welcomed Kain to Sanctuary, albeit with wariness and reluctance - Kain responded with "false courtesy" and attempted to rouse him into creating new Vampires. For unclear reasons, the two no longer trusted one another. Vorador's personality was substantially removed from his original incarnation in the first paradox timeline: he was "the reformed sado-hedonist of Termogent Forest", no longer brash, arrogant and decadent, but chastened, senescent and patriarchal. Upon learning that Umah had been captured by the Sarafan, he immediately directed Kain to rescue her from the Sarafan Keep, and frequently provided him directions and guidance via the Whisper. Though the two were in agreement that the Sarafan Lord needed to be slain, Kain did not take kindly to Vorador's "weary admonitions of safety and care". Once Umah was rescued, she informed the Vampires of the Nexus Stone. Vorador was already aware of the Stone's capacity to resist the power of the Soul Reaver, and permitted Kain to retain it once he retrieved it from the Industrial Quarter upon killing Sebastian. He had Kain visit the Seer, a Hylden older even than himself, revealing that she owed him a favor. Later, while discussing their unsuccessful attempts to contact Kain, Vorador and Umah were stunned to see Kain return with none other than Janos Audron, alive once again. Astonished to see his long-dead sire revived, Vorador chose to remain at Sanctuary with Janos and the Cabal while Kain and Umah were sent to deactivate the ward barrier in the Hylden City. Kain succeeded, and Janos teleported himself into the heart of the City alongside Vorador. Anxious for news on Umah's whereabouts, Vorador pressed Kain, accurately fearing the worst, but was appalled and shocked to learn that Kain himself had killed Umah for betraying him and stealing the Nexus Stone. He and Kain argued fervently, Vorador denouncing Kain a "monster" whom he was wrong ever to trust, Kain claiming that Vorador would have enacted the same punishment in his position. Directly after they agreed to combat the Sarafan Lord before resolving their dispute, the Hylden himself emerged and fired a Reaver Bolt which cleaved through Vorador's chest, knocking him - motionless - to the ground. Janos impelled Kain to pursue the Sarafan Lord while he tended to Vorador. Vorador's ultimate fate after the Sarafan Lord's defeat remains unknown, and has yet to be revealed. Notes *As revealed in bonus material for Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the character's name was changed to Infernum during Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain's development cycle, but was ultimately reverted back to Vorador. *Following the release of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Denis Dyack expressed in an interview that Vorador was among the series' most popular characters, stating that "if we decide to do more in the Blood Omen series then it is a safe bet to say that he will be in it". He also stated that little of Vorador's great deal of history had been revealed in the first game, expressing that "it would definitely be fun to fully explore his character".PSN's interview with Denis Dyack at Nosgothic Realm *An interactive chess match between Vorador and Kain had been planned for inclusion in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, but was cut from the game at the last minute due to a serious bug.The Chess Match at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln *Vorador is the only major character in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain who does not possess a 2D character sprite - he appears only in FMV sequences. *A chapter explaining Vorador's resurrection and reappearance in Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 was initially planned for inclusion in Legacy of Kain: Defiance during the game's planning stages. It was removed in a storyline rewrite, and the issue remains unexplained.The Resurrection of Vorador at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln Gallery Vorador Mural 2.jpg|Demonized Mural of Vorador as it appeared in Soul Reaver 2 Vorador Mural 1.jpg|Vorador demonized by the Sarafan Vorador (BO2).jpg|Vorador (BO2) See also * Vorador at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Walter). References Category:Vampires Category:Characters Category:Stubs Category:Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Category:Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 Category:Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Category:Legacy of Kain: Defiance Category:Blood Omen Characters Category:Blood Omen 2 Characters Category:Soul Reaver 2 Characters Category:Defiance Characters